Aim: To involve people with relevant lived experience in the development of a text-messaging intervention to reduce repetition of self-harm.

Methods: Six participatory workshops were held with service-users and clinicians to help develop the intervention.

Findings: Service users rejected the researchers' original plans for the intervention. This resulted in a new approach that was much more tailored to the individual. Developing a more complex intervention had serious implications for the pilot trial design. The researchers concluded that involving people at the development stage requires openness, flexibility and a readiness to abandon or radically revise initial plans. While this was acceptable for the research team, they wondered if it would be tolerated by all funders, given that they often require very formulated research proposals.

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Categories: health public health social care Designing research impact on funding/commissioning impact on research impact of public involvement journal article